The Twins Get Buttkicked
by Athrawne
Summary: I spun this up after watching episode 15/16 of Asterisk. I was also playing PSO2 at the time; my flavor of the month as it were. The instant I saw the Luxes in Asterisk, I instantly thought of the photon weapons in PSO2. So after I watched episode 15/16 I felt that the twins deserved some payback. And so I threw Matoi and my Newman Braver at them.


Yukiko glanced up at the stadium lights, then swept her gaze at the crowd. "So this Phoenix Festa really is a popular event, huh."

"So it seems," Matoi replied. She tugged at her skirt slightly. "I really don't like how short this skirt is."

"Hey you look good in it, you know. And we're here undercover after all."

And they were. The two Guardians had been asked by Casra to investigate a high tech planet which was practically overflowing with Photons; on top of that an old, outdated ARKS signal had been detected somewhere on the planet.

"Round one of block F! From Seidoukan Academy, we have … Hibari Yukiko and Matoi Klaes!"

Applause erupted from the crowd, more polite than enthusiastic. They were practically unknown, after all, though the two of them no doubt had garnered fans based on their looks alone. Matoi's figure was well emphasised by the lines of the uniform she was clad in, and the white cloth blended well with her silver hair. Let down from her normal, somewhat gravity and logic defying double loops, the long, flowing silver hair gave her an aura of mystery and elegance. Yukiko was also wearing the same white uniform, but her light blue hair was pulled into a long ponytail that ended near her waist. The tips of her hair were, as always, dark purple.

"From the Jie Long Seventh Institute, we have the twins Li Shenhua and Li Shenyun!"

Two near identical individuals stepped on to the stage. Their facial features and even hair style were indistinguishable from each other, and it was only their slightly different dress, a long sleeved maroon tunic of some sort paired with baggy white pants, that identified them. "It is your misfortune to be up against us first ," said the female. "Indeed it is. But do try to entertain us at least before falling into despair," her twin added.

"Sure, sure," Yukiko said, waving a hand in dismissal. "But a quick question."

"But of course. We can banter if you need the time to steady your nerves," said the female. Shen … yun?

"Don't really need it, but you." She pointed at the female twin. "Shenyun right? Why the boob window?"

Silence descended on the stage, followed quickly by some snickering and laughter from the crowd.

Matoi turned to her quickly, whispering. "That's Shenhua! Shenyun is the brother! Didn't you read the reports Xeilia sent? And what kind of a question is that?!"

Yukiko shrugged. "It's an honest question. I know you do it sometimes but that's cause of your photon sensitivity."

Matoi blushed. "Y-yes because of my photon sensitivity! Maybe she needs it for that too!"

"Then why doesn't he have a boob … no a chest window?"

"I don't know!"

Across from them, Shenhua had turned an interesting shade of red, and Shenyun purple. "V-very well. It seems we're being looked down on, Shenhua."

"Indeed. We must punish them appropriately," Shenhua said, face still red with embarrassment. Or anger.

"W-well, with that out of the way it looks like both our teams are ready to start! Round one of the Phoenix Festa's block! Start!"

"I hope you're ready for your lesson in courtesy!" Shenyun shouted as he dashed forward, Shenhua at his side.

"Which do you want?" Yukiko asked, lowering her body and preparing to charge. Her hand hovered near the katana's hilt, as her breathing slowed and she centered herself.

"Ahh. The female twin then," Matoi answered, Clarissa hovering behind her. Her eyes followed her chosen target as they drew ever closer.

Yukiko didn't response; there was a flash of light and an explosion of sound. Shenhua had been brought up short, barely raising his arms in time to block the katana's blade. But Yukiko was behind him now, and a second blisteringly fast slash was already on its way. Shenhua rolled forward, the purple blade missing him by mere inches. Astonished murmurs rose from the crowd; perhaps this would be a match worth watching after.

Shenhua ducked and weaved, as the impossibly fast blade flickered in again and again, reaching for the badge on his chest. Despite his best efforts, he realised the tip was getting ever closer. With a curse, he slipped one of the talismans from inside his sleeve. The slip of paper landed on the floor between them, and he yelled "Come, lightning!" The paper emitted sparks before a blast of lightning erupted from it. Yukiko twirled on her foot, deftly spinning around the bolt of lightning to continue her strike, but Shenhua had taken the brief moment to leap back, opening the distance.

Yukiko, looking incredibly unimpressed, flicked the purple and black katana left and right before returning it to its scabbard. "I thought you'd be better than that honestly," she said, recovering from her low stance.

"I have underestimated you, clearly. But …" an evil grin crossed his face. "Are you sure you can stand here like this? My sister is quite a vicious fighter."

Yukiko shrugged and began stalking towards him. "If your plan was to take out Matoi first I must say that it's terribly flawed. Here's a tip, _kid_."

Shenhua's eyebrow twitched at that. "Yet again you insult me. As I have-"

"You're not listening. Between the two of us." Yukiko stopped, with Shenhua still outside katana range. "Between the two of us, Matoi is far more powerful."

Almost as if signalled, there was a terrific explosion that shook the ground. Shenhua turned in horror to see his sister's battered form rising from a massive smoke cloud. Her limp form rose into the air trailing smoke, and began to fall. Before he could move, Matoi flew out of the smoke and caught her. Clarissa trailed behind her as always. As she began to land, Yukiko saw a flicker of greenish energy.

The braver smiled. As expected of Matoi. First blow them to hell and back, then heal them. She turned back to Shenhua. "See?"

The surviving twin's face was contorted with rage. "How dare you do that to my sister! I will visit on you pain a thousand fold! I will-"

Yukiko sighed, lowering her stance as she laid her hand on the katana's hilt. "No you won't." The katana lashed out in an upwards arc, it's tip touching the ground for an instant. From that brief contact, a narrow wall of azure flame exploded forward, closing the distance with the same impossible speed that all of Yukiko's strikes contained. Shenhua jumped back instantly, but as he did so he saw a massive pinkish purple column of light come slashing down.

That was the last thing he saw.

Yukiko exhaled as she watched Shenyun's body crash down into the ground, recovering her stance and returning the scabbarded katana to its place on her back. The crowd exploded in raucous applause and cheers, though Yukiko sensed a feeling of shock at how easily the twins had been defeated. "Are you alright?" Matoi asked, walking over.

"Oh yes. I just wonder if perhaps we've gone too far," Yukiko said as she waved at the crowd.

The two of them began walking off the stage as medical personnel came on stage to check on the conditions of the twins.

"Yes, I do hope Shenyun is okay after what you did to him."

Yukiko shrugged. "I held back, so he should be fine."

They came up to their assigned waiting room, and Yukiko led the way into the room. "Come to think of it. What did you do to Shenhua?"

"Oh. That. Well … "

* * *

As Yukiko charged off and checked Shenyun, Shenhua kept on charging. Matoi brought her hand down in a slashing motion and condensed blades of light stabbed down at her. Shenhua rolled off to the side, but more blades of light slammed down. Guided by Matoi, Clarissa shifted her line of fire, tracking Shenhua's movements with increasing accuracy until Shenhua had no choice but to pull out a talisman of her own and fire a bolt of lightning at Clarissa.

Lightning met light and they exploded, smoke washing over Matoi and Shenhua. Matoi coughed, covering her mouth with her hand, as she used her other hand to make a sweeping gesture. A blast of wind cleared the smoke, revealing an empty field. "... she's disappeared. Invisibility, I guess," she said to herself. Which meant …

Clarissa hovered behind her, power building as Matoi closed her eyes. She wasn't much of a physical fighter, but she did spend her mornings practicing with Yukiko and Huey. So she had learned a few things. She stilled her breathing, relaxed and let her mind go.

Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed, catching the incoming fist. A shocked gasp came from the air before her. Matoi pulled the arm and its attached owner forward as she dropped onto her back and kicked up hard with both her feet, propelling the invisible twin into the air.

Suspended in mid air it was impossible to evade any sort of attack. Suspended in mid air above Clarissa, it was impossible to miss.

... and that was that," Matoi finished.

Yukiko set her cup of tea down. "I was worried about going overboard and you threw a Ilfoie at point blank range?"

Matoi had the grace to look sheepish. "Well I wanted to end it quickly, and she might still be able to dodge at that time so I wanted to make sure to catch her even if she did."

Yukiko shook her head. "Well, whatever. Let's go watch the next match."

Matoi nodded happily. "Next is Sasamiya and Kirin-chan isn't it? I do want to see Kirin-chan's swordsmanship, after hearing you wax eloquent about it."

"...wax eloquent, you say. It's the truth though …" Yukiko muttered as she led the way out of the room.


End file.
